by Dan Santat
First published 2024
Two boys spend their days constructing elaborate worlds from blocks and cardboard. They build sailing ships that face attacks from sea monsters. They create towering castles that crumble into imaginary oceans. When their creations collapse and crash to the floor, both friends laugh and start building again. Each time something falls apart, they gather the scattered pieces and construct something even more ambitious. Their imagination drives them to build bigger and more complex structures. But when their newest creation tumbles down in dramatic fashion, neither boy finds it funny anymore. The collapse leaves them upset instead of entertained. They must decide whether to give up building together or find a way forward. Through their shared disappointment, the boys learn that some things in life prove more durable than their block constructions. Their friendship has grown stronger than any castle or ship they could ever build.
Genres: fiction, family-life, contemporary
Vibes: emotional, thought-provoking, whimsical
Tropes: found-family, resilience
40 pages · Library Binding · Knopf Books for Young Readers